Winter Kills

By: Richard Condon

Narrated by: Geoff Williams

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

President Timothy Kegan is assassinated while riding in a motorcade in Philadelphia; a single shooter is caught and convicted. Fourteen years later, the slain President's half-brother, Nick, hears a deathbed confession that upends everything he thought he knew about his brother's death. In a desperate rush to find the real killer, Nick must navigate the murky waters of a conspiracy that involves the CIA, oil barons, the police force, movie stars, and people at the highest level of government.A gripping political thriller, this book contains disturbing echoes of the Kennedy Assassination. Rife with political intrigue, it addresses many mysteries that remain unsolved in the real life JFK case—and it’s sure to keep you listeningABOUT THE AUTHOR Richard Condon (1915-1996) wrote over 26 satirical thrillers throughout a prolific career, dealing with themes of political corruption, greed, and abuse of power. Before his career as a novelist, Condon served in the US Merchant Marines and later became a Hollywood publicist, agent, and advertising writer. In addition to Winter Kills, Condon's best-selling works include The Manchurian Candidate and the Prizzi series, dealing with the life of a crime family in New York. Winter Kills was made into a movie in 1979 staring Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Elizabeth Taylor, and Anthony Perkins.

©1972 Wendy Condon Jackson (P)2015 Wild Voices

A fun way to listen to a classic novel.

What about Geoff Williams’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed listening to Geoff's performance. His voice is very soothing,

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I like to listen to audiobooks in the car in short spurts.

Raises the audio experience to another level

What did you love best about Winter Kills?

The tone that's struck in the performance seems perfectly in tune with Condon's offhanded sort of off-center way with a story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Cerruti. He's a slavish soldier type with a Peter Lorre kind of creepiness. I especially enjoyed his description of his filing system. I could hear a dash of Dr. Strangelove.

Which character – as performed by Geoff Williams – was your favorite?

One of the reasons I like this audiobook is the parade of voices, which makes this production kind of unique, using a cast of actors rather than burdening the main narrator with having to perform each and every character. It adds some depth, and I think it's a good approach for a book with so many characters. I especially liked his touch as the narrator, executing the nuances that are so much a signature of the author.

Any additional comments?

This is a very entertaining production. The story, being a Condon treatment of a presidential assassination, is especially intriguing. I think the author's storytelling style is brought to life beautifully.

Memories of JFK told in a Dragnet foremat

Interesting concept., a story/ setup that is quasi JFK assignation with semi realistic research. The story occasionally acts like it will take off nut seems to always run out of gas and it slows, coughs for a while and then moves on again. Interesting concept of using a Joe Friday type monologue to tell this 60's,70's style story.
This story did not have the impact of the Manchurian Candidate .... To me it has a little trouble finding new thinking with original thought.

Another Condon Gem

If you could sum up Winter Kills in three words, what would they be?

Satirical Biting Mystery

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Very fast-paced, lots of characters moving in and out of the story, lots of twists and turns right up until the last page. I was amazed at how closely Condon followed the actual events of the Kennedy assassination and conspiracies.

Which character – as performed by Geoff Williams – was your favorite?

This was a multiple-voice production. Great voice actors for each character. Nick and his mentor Keifetz were outstanding. The Chantal character was truly seductive.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Would have been fun, but a little too long for that!

Any additional comments?

I loved Condon's Manchurian Candidate. I'd like to see more of his books turned into audio. He was one of the great contemporary commentators on American political life.

Voice talent shines in Winter Kills audiobook

What made the experience of listening to Winter Kills the most enjoyable?

This true-to-the-times production transported me back to the epic of America in the gut-wrenching sixties.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The unrelenting twists and turns of the riveting plot thrust the reader into the story in a captivating way, making it difficult to take one's attention from the story.

What does Geoff Williams bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It's obvious that Geoff Williams brings extensive experience to this production of Condon's novel. The power of fiction lies in the expression of human voices which Mr. Williams moulds together through his skilled direction of this finely crafted listening experience.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Although one might like to listen to the story for ten hours, I preferred taking it in smaller pieces.

Any additional comments?

I recommend Geoff Williams's production without hesitation to any fans of radio mystery drama. It's sure to please.

Classic Condon

Where does Winter Kills rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the better multiple voice produced books that I have listened to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Nick's father. The voice pairing to Condon's work as spot on.

What about Geoff Williams’s performance did you like?

Mr. William's narration blended smoothly with the other voice actors in the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending, but won't give that part away in this review. It is a thriller after all...

Any additional comments?

Enjoyed the retro-ness of the story, but could see this entire work being rewritten for our modern world.

Amateur production, avoid.

A single really first rate actor could have brought off the manic, highly ironic qualities of Richard Condon infinitely better than what calls itself a 'full cast' performance. The narrator isn't disastrous, but has none of the above qualities, while elements of the cast are so unskilled as to give this production the feeling of really third-rate amateur dramatics, and whoever produced it couldn't be bothered to make sure that names were pronounced correctly. I don't think Condon is at all well served by this nonsense, if you want to experience his books -- at least, this one -- it's going to be necessary to read it.